MMMMMMMMmm
Turn Ons:
Burger
BBQ Sauce
Beer
Games
Social Atmosphere
Turn Offs:
Game down-time
Poor utilization of Shuffleboard
I've always known it as The Swillburger, due to the large "The Swillburger" painted on the side of the building. But the website calls it The Playhouse. So, I'm calling it The Swillburger Playhouse.
The Swillburger name comes from the Swillburg Neighborhood in Rochester, that The Swillburger resides within. Also, probably the fact that their food focuses on burger pattys. Looking at a map:
Swillburg Map
The Swillburger Playhouse sits on the border of the Swillburg Neighborhood and the South Wedge. There is a new building on the same street called The Edge of the Wedge. There is a long seated friendly rivalry between Swillburg and the South Wedge, but I digress. Let's share S Clinton.
The Swillburger Playhouse used to be a church (see link below). It was purchased and converted into a burger joint, bar, and arcade. There used to be artwork on the building, but Rochester weather took care of that. Rumors are that the artist will try again this summer using a different technology that is less susceptible to wind, rain, and cold. (In Rochester?! WHAAAAT?!)
It is fun to see the old architecture and to try to picture how the building was previously used. When you enter from the corner of S Clinton and Meigs, you instantly walk into the arcade. It can be a bit noisy and in-your face, so most people have to stop to take it in. The large bar is straight ahead and food is to the left. There is usually a short line for food. So, lets talk about that.
We went to Swillburger when it first opened, before they could even sell alcohol. (I know, I can't believe Melisa went before they could serve alcohol). We were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good the burgers were. They don't do much with the food. They have a few burger options and some potato options, and that's it. But the sauces are so good and the burgers are even better. The potatoes are crunchy. Try the BBQ sauce. Their shakes were amazing, but I haven't ordered them since the bar opened. BUT.... it seems to us that they've changed their burgers a bit. They're still legit burgers with good meat and everything. But we get the feeling that the patties get squished down and flattened, now. NOOOO! That squishes out all of the moisture and cooks the middle too much! Whereas before, we thought these were top-tier burgers, now our opinion is that the burgers are "pretty good". We hope they change them back. We've been getting the crispy chicken "sammich" ever since. Their BBQ sause is epic. They were kind enough to supply their BBQ sauce for our Pig Roast for our Engagement party and everyone was raving about it!
I recommend coming in and getting some food in your belly right away. Take it upstairs and eat on the top floor where you can look down upon the other patrons at the barcade. Enjoy the food, view, and plan out which games you want to play while secretly judging the puny peons, below.
Clean up after yourself and go grab a beer. They have a good selection of craft beers. I wasn't a huge fan of the cocktails. I ordered the same cocktail from two different bar tenders and got two totally different drinks. I think this may just be a fluke. But still; this is a beer bar. Get the beer. They seem to try to also be a cocktail bar for the ladies, but in our opinion, they're not very good at it yet. The bar is huge and even with all the traffic, you should be able to get a menu and your order in. The beer taps do not have the individual taps for which beer they are serving, so you unfortunately have to get your hands on a paper menu, which are distributed all over the bar. So, it's not too bad. Plus everyone is friendly, and happy to hand you a menu. I hope they put up a chalk board or something later, so customers can see the beer listed on the wall behind the bar. Order your beer. Enjoy the throwback games displayed on the wall behind the bar that resembles a Tetris game. Take your beer with you to get your tokens by the entrance door, if you're here to play games. (They could probably place this is a more convenient location, away from everyone entering and leaving the bar.)
This isn't Dave and Busters. These are the old school throwback arcade games from the Original Nintendo and Sega Genesis. There are a ton of pinball games, there is a shuffleboard which is near the bar. I love that they have shuffleboard! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be perfectly level, and being so near the bar, there can be spills on it which makes the friction of the board unpredictable. I would hope they could maintain it a little better. I like it near the bar, because as a bar patron it is easy to just turn around, watch a game, and even socialize. The trouble is that it can be difficult and distracting to play with so many people crowded around. I wonder if it would do better upstairs. The balcony may not support the weight, and it might be physically impossible to move that monstrosity upstairs. When the bar is full, it can be difficult to move through the arcade with everyone milling around or waiting for a game. But, you get to play the games for $0.50 each. That's tough to beat these days. I find that it is actually easier to strike up conversations among the games. If you're Wolverine, and you jump in to help Storm tackle Magneto, you're bound to start chatting with Storm. "Use your Mutant Power!" That's a winning line every time. Seriously, the patrons here just seem to be in a better mood and more open to conversation with a complete stranger than any place I can think of.
I do want to take this time to point out that they do get some breakdowns of games, and they're going to have to improve their repair time if they want their customers to remain loyal. Some games go down for months. I can't imagine that in this tech-savvy neighborhood, they can't find a couple reliable repair people. Keep an inventory of things that break often like buttons and joysticks, and someone who can work on them when the place is closed. Create a relationship with a place that specializes in the old arcade games replacement parts. (I will point out that, since this was originally written, they have improved upon this, greatly. I like to think that this was our doing.)
Hanging at the bar is also still a solid choice. Enjoy the nerdy T-shirts you're bound to see. The occasional handle-bar mustache. But, some patrons still are dressed to impress. It's a quite diverse scene and it works well.
The owners knew what they were doing. This is a young, hip neighborhood. They like simple food, have a very mature beer palette, and love video games. Enter a barcade. This is a winning combination for this neighborhood.
Melisa and I have discussed what this will mean for the other local bars. I think everyone will swarm The Swillburger Playhouse and the other bars will lose some business. Melisa thinks that the other nearby bars will benefit due to more people coming to do bar crawls in the area. So, once people come to Swillburger, they might walk across or down the street to visit other bars as well. Only time will tell. (since time has gone by, the Rochester Pedal Tours has included the Swillburger on their tour, increasing traffic in the area. 1 point to Melisa)
This is where I want to mention that they do not have their own parking lot. It isn't too hard to find parking on Meigs St within a block, but I get a little anxious at night on the weekends. Melisa and I can walk, so we don't care :-p I'm sure others walk and ride bicycles, too.
In conclusion, the Swillburger Playhouse knows its customers well. They have a great business model. I have a few minor gripes about the burgers, lack of menu behind the bar, game brake downs, shuffleboard shortcomings, and the token machine location. But, the fact is that we keep going. It is incredibly social, and lots of fun. I don't like hanging out at just "bars"; I like something to do while I sip my drink and talk to old friends or new ones. Here, there is so much to keep you occupied, and it is easy to meet new friends. The Swillburger Playhouse will surely become a staple and landmark in the Swillburg/South Wedge neighborhoods.
The Playhouse
Turn Ons:
Burger
BBQ Sauce
Beer
Games
Social Atmosphere
Turn Offs:
Game down-time
Poor utilization of Shuffleboard
I've always known it as The Swillburger, due to the large "The Swillburger" painted on the side of the building. But the website calls it The Playhouse. So, I'm calling it The Swillburger Playhouse.
The Swillburger name comes from the Swillburg Neighborhood in Rochester, that The Swillburger resides within. Also, probably the fact that their food focuses on burger pattys. Looking at a map:
Swillburg Map
The Swillburger Playhouse sits on the border of the Swillburg Neighborhood and the South Wedge. There is a new building on the same street called The Edge of the Wedge. There is a long seated friendly rivalry between Swillburg and the South Wedge, but I digress. Let's share S Clinton.
The Swillburger Playhouse used to be a church (see link below). It was purchased and converted into a burger joint, bar, and arcade. There used to be artwork on the building, but Rochester weather took care of that. Rumors are that the artist will try again this summer using a different technology that is less susceptible to wind, rain, and cold. (In Rochester?! WHAAAAT?!)
It is fun to see the old architecture and to try to picture how the building was previously used. When you enter from the corner of S Clinton and Meigs, you instantly walk into the arcade. It can be a bit noisy and in-your face, so most people have to stop to take it in. The large bar is straight ahead and food is to the left. There is usually a short line for food. So, lets talk about that.
We went to Swillburger when it first opened, before they could even sell alcohol. (I know, I can't believe Melisa went before they could serve alcohol). We were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good the burgers were. They don't do much with the food. They have a few burger options and some potato options, and that's it. But the sauces are so good and the burgers are even better. The potatoes are crunchy. Try the BBQ sauce. Their shakes were amazing, but I haven't ordered them since the bar opened. BUT.... it seems to us that they've changed their burgers a bit. They're still legit burgers with good meat and everything. But we get the feeling that the patties get squished down and flattened, now. NOOOO! That squishes out all of the moisture and cooks the middle too much! Whereas before, we thought these were top-tier burgers, now our opinion is that the burgers are "pretty good". We hope they change them back. We've been getting the crispy chicken "sammich" ever since. Their BBQ sause is epic. They were kind enough to supply their BBQ sauce for our Pig Roast for our Engagement party and everyone was raving about it!
I recommend coming in and getting some food in your belly right away. Take it upstairs and eat on the top floor where you can look down upon the other patrons at the barcade. Enjoy the food, view, and plan out which games you want to play while secretly judging the puny peons, below.
Clean up after yourself and go grab a beer. They have a good selection of craft beers. I wasn't a huge fan of the cocktails. I ordered the same cocktail from two different bar tenders and got two totally different drinks. I think this may just be a fluke. But still; this is a beer bar. Get the beer. They seem to try to also be a cocktail bar for the ladies, but in our opinion, they're not very good at it yet. The bar is huge and even with all the traffic, you should be able to get a menu and your order in. The beer taps do not have the individual taps for which beer they are serving, so you unfortunately have to get your hands on a paper menu, which are distributed all over the bar. So, it's not too bad. Plus everyone is friendly, and happy to hand you a menu. I hope they put up a chalk board or something later, so customers can see the beer listed on the wall behind the bar. Order your beer. Enjoy the throwback games displayed on the wall behind the bar that resembles a Tetris game. Take your beer with you to get your tokens by the entrance door, if you're here to play games. (They could probably place this is a more convenient location, away from everyone entering and leaving the bar.)
This isn't Dave and Busters. These are the old school throwback arcade games from the Original Nintendo and Sega Genesis. There are a ton of pinball games, there is a shuffleboard which is near the bar. I love that they have shuffleboard! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be perfectly level, and being so near the bar, there can be spills on it which makes the friction of the board unpredictable. I would hope they could maintain it a little better. I like it near the bar, because as a bar patron it is easy to just turn around, watch a game, and even socialize. The trouble is that it can be difficult and distracting to play with so many people crowded around. I wonder if it would do better upstairs. The balcony may not support the weight, and it might be physically impossible to move that monstrosity upstairs. When the bar is full, it can be difficult to move through the arcade with everyone milling around or waiting for a game. But, you get to play the games for $0.50 each. That's tough to beat these days. I find that it is actually easier to strike up conversations among the games. If you're Wolverine, and you jump in to help Storm tackle Magneto, you're bound to start chatting with Storm. "Use your Mutant Power!" That's a winning line every time. Seriously, the patrons here just seem to be in a better mood and more open to conversation with a complete stranger than any place I can think of.
I do want to take this time to point out that they do get some breakdowns of games, and they're going to have to improve their repair time if they want their customers to remain loyal. Some games go down for months. I can't imagine that in this tech-savvy neighborhood, they can't find a couple reliable repair people. Keep an inventory of things that break often like buttons and joysticks, and someone who can work on them when the place is closed. Create a relationship with a place that specializes in the old arcade games replacement parts. (I will point out that, since this was originally written, they have improved upon this, greatly. I like to think that this was our doing.)
Hanging at the bar is also still a solid choice. Enjoy the nerdy T-shirts you're bound to see. The occasional handle-bar mustache. But, some patrons still are dressed to impress. It's a quite diverse scene and it works well.
The owners knew what they were doing. This is a young, hip neighborhood. They like simple food, have a very mature beer palette, and love video games. Enter a barcade. This is a winning combination for this neighborhood.
Melisa and I have discussed what this will mean for the other local bars. I think everyone will swarm The Swillburger Playhouse and the other bars will lose some business. Melisa thinks that the other nearby bars will benefit due to more people coming to do bar crawls in the area. So, once people come to Swillburger, they might walk across or down the street to visit other bars as well. Only time will tell. (since time has gone by, the Rochester Pedal Tours has included the Swillburger on their tour, increasing traffic in the area. 1 point to Melisa)
This is where I want to mention that they do not have their own parking lot. It isn't too hard to find parking on Meigs St within a block, but I get a little anxious at night on the weekends. Melisa and I can walk, so we don't care :-p I'm sure others walk and ride bicycles, too.
In conclusion, the Swillburger Playhouse knows its customers well. They have a great business model. I have a few minor gripes about the burgers, lack of menu behind the bar, game brake downs, shuffleboard shortcomings, and the token machine location. But, the fact is that we keep going. It is incredibly social, and lots of fun. I don't like hanging out at just "bars"; I like something to do while I sip my drink and talk to old friends or new ones. Here, there is so much to keep you occupied, and it is easy to meet new friends. The Swillburger Playhouse will surely become a staple and landmark in the Swillburg/South Wedge neighborhoods.
The Playhouse
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